# Bolivar Analysis - Authentic v. Counterfeit



## dayplanner (Dec 11, 1997)

I was prompted to share this post by OilMan's recent question regarding the identification of a suspect Esplendidos. In that thread, I presented some forensic work I did on a "good" fake. Here is some time I spent with a "bad" fake.

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This is a record of my recent smoking session with a genuine Bolivar Petit Corona (as the Bolivar Tubos No.2) and a Bolivar Coronas of questionable authenticity. The Bolivar Coronas in this review was as single from a box recently purchased by a fellow cigar forum member. The Tubos No.2 came from a source of unimpeachable reputation. I won't be reporting just the experience of smoking these cigars, rather, I will also be describing the organoleptic and forensic analysis I carried out to determine the true nature of the Coronas.

The following photographs will detail some of the physical and cosmetic differences. But first let me comment on the sensory characteristics from smoking. I smoked these two sticks in parallel. That means I lit them both up at the same time and smoked them together, puffing on one for a little while and then switching to the other. This is but one way to do a head-to-head comparison. Another would be to smoke one right after the other.

The Coronas lit up fine but from the very first puffs, was harsh and thin. I have never smoked a Cuban cigar that burned my throat, but this one did. In addition to the nasty bite, there was a strange metallic taste and a distinct off-flavor that was like something burnt but I could not say what. It just wasn't pleasant. The draw was easy as was expected from seeing the loose bunching at the foot. When I pushed smoke up through my nose, I found it a bit acrid and again, harsh. There was a distinct lack of earthiness or leatheriness. Tobacco was there of course, but with a serious lack of complexity, depth or body. In fact, it tasted quite raw, or underfermented. Throughout its length, the flavor profile did not change at all, remaining tobacco-like but not getting any more intense or deeper. Toward the last inch, it did get stronger and a little fuller. At this point, it was almost a decent cheap smoke. Overall, this was a poor cigar with a flavor profile that was certainly not "Bolivar" and positively un-Cuban.

The Petit Coronas lit up fine as well and from the first puffs, was rich and earthy. There was a distinct creaminess to the smoke and there was no harshness. Instead, there were dashes of black and white pepper spicing things up. The draw was noticeably tighter than that of the Coronas but still quite acceptable. The cigar delivered nice deep tobacco flavor and gradually got richer and stronger as time passed. I noticed some nuttiness but also plenty of earthy and leathery notes that made it delicious and satisfying. The cigar stayed full and a little creamy to the end. It started to get a bit harsh near the nub but I was also having to puff a little harder to keep it lit. Overall, this PC was reminiscent of Boli PC, CJ and to a lesser degree the CE that I have smoked in recent times. Overall, a comforting and satisfying cigar.

Now, onto the pictures.

*1.* Here are the two cigars side by side. The Coronas is on the right, the Petit Coronas (authentic) on the left. This one was taken in sunlight. You can see that the wrapper on the Coronas does not seem smooth and silky like the one on the PC. The PC's wrapper was resilient and fine unlike the Coronas' which felt hard and coarse.









*2.* Here are the two cigars side by side again. This time, the Coronas is on the left. The light is shining down on the cigars at a grazing angle to accentuate surface texture. As you can see, the PC looks leathery but the Coronas looks ashen and the word that comes to mind is "sickly." Just a note, the Corona did not have the rich, tobacco pre-light aroma of the PC. 









*3.* I normally like to lick the cap a bit before cutting to make the leaf a little softer for cutting. And I like to taste the wrapper leaf. Call me weird. But after you take a look at the cap on the Coronas (on the right), you'll understand why there was no way I was going to put my tongue on this tumorous-looking thing.









*4.* Here is a shot of the heads after clipping. I used a double-bladed guillotine but I was careful to only remove the cap and not cut the bunch underneath. As you can see, the PC on the left has a bunch that is flush cut, a fact that in a large part accounts for the "flat head" seen on many authentic Habanos. Heads that seem more or less flat are the result of variations in the closing up of the wrapper at the head under the cap. The bunch under the cap of the Coronas is ragged and uneven with the filler leaves protruding to different degrees. BTW, I remove as much of the cap as I can, the reason is to make use of _all_ the air channels in the bunch and to avoid tar build-up.









*5.* As the smoking began, I immediately noticed a dramatic difference in the ash. The Coronas had a snow white ash that was tight and had large "pimples" on the surface. It was completely uniform without striations or patches of grey. In my experience, this is quite uncommon in Cuban cigars. I have, however, seen it exemplified in cigars using Honduran binder/wrapper. In contrast, the PC had a fluffy medium gray ash with plentiful patches of darker gray. This was an appearance that I have seen with many different Cuban brands. There were fine white "pimples" on this ash, much resembling that seen on OpusX ash.









*** Continued in the next post ***


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## dayplanner (Dec 11, 1997)

*** Continued from the previous post ***

*6.* Here is the first of two forensic shots. This first one is of the large filler leaf I found upon unwrapping the Coronas. What's noteworthy here is the presence of a massive stem. I suspect this had something to do with the reoccurring razor-thin run I had on one side. In fact, if you look at the picture of the cut head, you can actually see it sticking out prominently at the 12-o'clock position. This stick was almost the girth of a chopstick and, IMO, highly unlikely that it would have made it into genuine Cuban production. 









*7.* This second forensic shot shows the difference in binder leaves. The PC had a binder that was very similar to that found in other Cuban cigars (heck, even good cigars of NC type) I've taken apart. Thick, resilient and leathery. The Coronas, however, had a binder that was fragile and thin.









*8.* The final photo in this exposé involves the "Cuban Triple-Cap," a characteristic of the style of finishing up the head which, when it is missing, is often touted as suggestive of fakery. This sequence of snapshots taken from the Front, Right, Back and Left show the famous triple cap in all its glory. The triple-cap technique of finishing is described here and does not, in fact, use three pieces of wrapper. Also, the triple-cap is only visible from certain directions. In other words, if your cigar does not show a triple-cap from at least two of the four directions, then perhaps you have reason to worry. This does not hold true for figurados such as the Piramides. The Coronas, on the left, never shows a triple-cap and instead of the tight wrapping you see on the PC on the right, a large flap of the wrapper is simply flung around the head twice.









In total, I employed three modes of analysis. _First_, visual inspection of external features of the cigar, band and packaging. _Second_, forensic analysis of the internal materials and construction of the cigar. _Third_ and most conclusively, the taste test. This particular fugazy actually failed at the very first level. But other, better counterfeits (such as a recent bunch of Cohiba Siglo VI purchased at a resort in Cuba from another member) did not conclusively flunk until the third level.

It is my hope that this exercise will be of use to all who love the Cuban leaf, especially those new to the art. Truly, a trusted supplier is a valuable asset, but your own knowledge and understanding of the aspects of Habanos is also a worthy a protection against fraud and fakery. If you are truly earnest about this hobby, you'll take the time and apply the effort to understand these seemingly simple and disposable little bundles of leaves. And if you do, then worlds of sublime pleasure await you.

Wilkey


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## Jason Love III (Apr 30, 2005)

Awesome post 3x5card!


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## OilMan (May 12, 2006)

Very interesting post. I read every word. Thanks


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## azherfer (Feb 13, 2006)

That's about as good an analysis I've ever read...BRAVO!


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## Dandee (Feb 20, 2006)

azherfer said:


> That's about as good an analysis I've ever read...BRAVO!


:tpd:

A buddy of mine and I sat and decomposed some Fohiba Pyramid ELs the other night. The leaf was of much better quality and was all good quality long filler, but the taste was a dead give away. That and the glass top on the box.:r

Nice job 3x5card!


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## drevim (Dec 21, 2005)

Awesome read, and the pics really helped to see the differences. Thanks for the breakdown.


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## Dandee (Feb 20, 2006)

drevim said:


> Awesome read, and the pics really helped to see the differences. Thanks for the breakdown.


I wish I could take pics like that awesome quality!


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## ToddziLLa (Oct 17, 2005)

Holy crap man...good post! Well done.


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## dayplanner (Dec 11, 1997)

Required reading. Thanks for taking the time to do the work and documenting your findings. And thanks for sharing. I'm saving this thread for future reference.


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## dayplanner (Dec 11, 1997)

My pleasure to be of service. I have the box that these sorry suckers came in and if I find the time, I'll post some pictures. Let's just say that "holograms are not your friends."

Wilkey


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## teeznutz (Jan 17, 2006)

WTG 3x5card....Thanks for taking the time to fully detail your findings. Big difference between the two!


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## MoTheMan (May 24, 2003)

Awesome pics, great analysis, and excellent dissection.

Kudos to you.

Honestly, these are many of the things I've seen done to check on authenticity of a cigar. 

This thread is valuable.


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## icehog3 (Feb 20, 2005)

Excellent thread for Gorillas of all levels of experience...Thank you!


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## cvm4 (Sep 10, 2005)

What a very informative and great post


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## RPB67 (Mar 26, 2005)

Great post Wilkey !

Thanks for taking the time and sharing...


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## OpusXtasy (Apr 2, 2005)

Wilkey is now the offical "cigar CSI". If I have have a questions about authenticity you are the man. Great post!


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## opus (Jun 21, 2005)

Very nice post indeed, good information here with excellent photos.


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## Bruce (Dec 31, 1999)

Just a minor point:
The color of the ash means nothing in determining the origin of the cigar. It's more of an indication of ageing.
What I would like to know is the vendor that sold the box of Coronas.


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## dayplanner (Dec 11, 1997)

Bruce said:


> Just a minor point:
> The color of the ash means nothing in determining the origin of the cigar. It's more of an indication of ageing.
> What I would like to know is the vendor that sold the box of Coronas.


Quite right, Bruce. The color of the ash _as a clue unto itself_ provides next to no information. However, when taking all available evidence as an ensemble, it does provide useful information. For the geeks out there, it's sort of like multivariate analysis.

Wilkey


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## SuperT (Oct 19, 2005)

Bruce said:


> Just a minor point:
> The color of the ash means nothing in determining the origin of the cigar. It's more of an indication of ageing.
> What I would like to know is the vendor that sold the box of Coronas.


Is this a statement you can back up?

From what I have learned (quite possibly incorrectly) it CAN be an indication of age but ALSO different minerals in the soil. Some minerals (phosphorus and calcium) produce a whiter ash.

Stolen articles:


> Soil is rich with chemical compounds and a variety of mineral deposits, which are carried into plants by moisture. The soil in different regions is distinguished by its own characteristics: different minerals predominate in different places. Hence the same plant will have essentially different chemical and mineral contents in different areas. For instance, cigars rolled from tobacco grown in the central regions of Cuba (Remedios) produce almost white ash; cigars made of tobacco from the Vuelta Abajo produce gray ash with white veins. Take into consideration that the two areas are adjacent to each other. The difference takes place because the soil in the Vuelta Abajo is full of various minerals in roughly equal amounts, while the soil in the Remedios Region is characterized by potassium predomination.





> "It means the soil has lots of phosphorus and calcium. The soil that produces Sumatra tobacco will always give a white ash. Cuban soil is low in calcium and that's how they maintain it, so Cuban cigars' ashes are hardly ever white."


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## ky toker (Jun 2, 2005)

Great thread with the write-up and comparison. Gives us good info to take away and put to use.


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## Bruce (Dec 31, 1999)

SuperT:

I used to subscribe to the fertilizer/mineral concept, but after MANY years of experience with havanas, and especially vintage/rare havanas, I no longer believe in that theory.
I would have to admit to agreeing with the ageing theory that MRN states in his book. To say that cuban cigars should not have a white ash is false, as nearly all my vintage cigars have a white ash when I smoke them. Those that do not tell me that they are still maturating, and generally you can tell by the taste.

As far as backing up my statement, I feel that my experience speaks for itself. Just ask anyone around here that has been around the game for a while.


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## SeanGAR (Jul 9, 2004)

When I look at this from a scientific standpoint, I can see no reason why the ash would change color after age. 

Maybe Cubans used different fertilizers in the 70s and 80s or their soils were less depleted so the minerals remaining in 20+ year old tobacco after smoking are different than what they are today, so if an old cigar has different color ash ... this could be unrelated to the ageing per se. 

Ash is just the inorganic materials in the cigar. Why would that change with age? The only reason that I can think that it could change would be if the hot-box temperature was different (higher) in a cigar that is older.. resulting in a more complete ashing. 

I'm in the "ash color is related to minerals in the leaf" school of thought.

I should do some ICP analysis of minerals in ash from C and NC sources that produce different color ash just for the hell of it one day. Some Nic smokes can have really dark ash, especially in individual leaves.


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## Hammerhead (Sep 7, 2005)

Wow. Awesome contribution. This is the kind of information that makes CS a great place to be. I've been looking for a long time for someone to make photographic comparisons to help us evaluate product.

Thanks for the terrific post!


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## Warhorse545 (Oct 16, 2005)

Thank you very much for that post. Well done on the photos as well.



Stacey


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## SuperT (Oct 19, 2005)

Bruce,

I'm not saying that age WILL NOT change the color of ash. I'm not a regular smoker of vintage/rare havanas - I'm a recent production/regular havana kind of guy. 

I do know most of my recent production/regular havanas burn with a grey ash versus white. Yet on the rare occasion I light up a Padron, VSG, (about the only NCs I still smoke), or CAO Brazilia - they burn with an almost 'bright white' ash. Should I assume that Jorge, Carlito or Ozgener are rolling with vintage leaves or they age them YEARS before sending out?

I say this somewhat tongue-in-cheek because I believe it has to be more than just age, HAS to be. 

I'm not discrediting your theory nor am I saying "I am right", it could be a multitude of reasons a cigar will burn with a white ash and in Havanas, it could be JUST age - but I don't think a blanket statement can be made about tobacco/cigars in general.


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## dayplanner (Dec 11, 1997)

Wow,

Fantastic points by both Bruce and Sean. 

Gentlemen, there is no conflict at all between what you two are saying. There is nothing irreconcilable as I read it. Bruce's experience is what it is and there is little doubt that things have changed in the last 20-25 years. I do wonder, however, how the situation in Bordeaux is or is not analogous to the situation in Cuba. Surely the French have been growing grapes in the same vinyards for at least as long as the Cubans have been growing tobacco on their vegas. 

As for the differing ash colors of tobaccos from Cuba, Honduras, the Dominican Republic and other places, what we have are bushel-loads of experiential observational data. And that's ok. But if we want to make sense of this conglomeration of information, some order must be put to it and I'm afraid that's more than I can envision right now. 

And Sean, in the absence of analytical tests to determine ash content and composition we are left at drawing speculative inferences for now. So fire up that ICP TOF, etc and let's get to work. 

SuperT,
I think you'll agree this situation is complex and we're all sort of approaching it from different directions. But that's good. Maybe we can triangulate the cause somehow.

Let me ask this. Given two identical cigars, is there any way that you can envision storing or smoking them (in a reasonable amount of time) such that you can make the ash lighter or darker at will?

Wilkey


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## Bruce (Dec 31, 1999)

FYI:
Read MRN's theory on ageing and the color of ash. Maybey this will help explain my standpoint better.
It made sense to me, especially after MANY years of observing this phenomena.


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## SeanGAR (Jul 9, 2004)

Bruce said:


> FYI:
> Read MRN's theory on ageing and the color of ash. Maybey this will help explain my standpoint better.
> It made sense to me, especially after MANY years of observing this phenomena.


Bruce,

No MRN here yet ... I'm hoping soon. I do ash analysis for my work (but not usually mineral analysis) fairly often, and see colors of ash varying depending on the (food) samples that are analysed. Samples rich in copper can look bluish, samples rich in other minerals can also look dark colored or whitish.

I am a scientist so I would look for a scientific explanation for a color change in ash, which is just the inorganic components of the tobacco. We ash samples at 600-650C, but for several hours, so this is somewhat lower than the temperature of the hot box (and of course the burn time in a cigar is lower). However, I have played with my torch to see if the ash color lightens as I hit dark colored-ash with the 2000+C flame, and it invariably doesn't. So I assume from this that the ash is completely inorganic (i.e., the leaf is completely oxidized in the flame).

So I feel comfortable when I assume the ash is completely oxidized and that no organic material is left. That would make color in the ash dependant on the mineral content and composition. At first glance, this (ash content or composition) would not likely change with time (they are not volatile), so it would not make sense for ash color to change from one color in a fresh cigar to another in another cigar from the same box decade(s) later. The only plausable explanation I can think of for the color change with time would be for some oxidation or hydration/dehydration of the minerals to occur, changing their form (and the color of the ashed mineral), with extended age.

Of course, that doesn't explain why a binder might burn darker than the filler/wrapper in some cigars or the wrapper burn darker than the filler/binder in others. So the basic question of why leaves burn and ash to different colors is clearly not age related.

When MRN arrives I'll give that a good read. Obviously your experience is something that I'd like to see an explanation for and reconciled with what I expect would happen .. maybe MRN and some ruminations over a good cigar will provide that.

/Sean


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## One Lonely Smoker (Jan 21, 2005)

What that corona looks like is a cameroon wrapper covering a bunch that is questionable looking in a couple of ways. Your dissection showed alot of problems, but the wrapper was enough for me. You won't find much Havana wrapper leaf that looks like that. Not that the color, texture and tooth like that are not possible in Cuba, but I have not seen it in the modern wrapper leaf strains as yet.
:2

Also, after readin more of the replies, I might as well add that in my experience, ashes do tend to become more refined as cigars age. I would also agree that it has much to do with the fact that the leaf is in a long slow state of decay from the moment the leaves are picked, and as the chemical makeup changes, so does the color and consistency of the ash. But the FIRST thing I ever read is that the soil magnesium content is making the ashes white, and I never doubted that, but I am not a chemist, only a cigar smoker. Again, just my own experience, but I have become convinced that age affects the ash color.


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## opus (Jun 21, 2005)

I believe the thought behind the ash color change with age is that as the cigars age, more and more molecular bonds break down as the years go by. This leads to more complete combustion, hence a whiter ash. I think this seems reasonable, but so does the mineral content idea. It is probably a combination of factors leading to cigar ash color. I, like a lot of other gorillas, have limited experience with really aged sticks, but I have seen some very white ashes on some of the aged sticks I have smoked, and not so white on others. I believe the original post was directed at the masses and not specific to aged smokes. I hope to soon do some serious research into the white ash on aged sticks theory.


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## poker (Dec 11, 1997)

Personally, in my experience, ash color is not the "final word" on whether a cigar is truly from Cuban origin. Like Bruce, I have many a vintage cigar that has exhibited a unusualy light ash. I have always contributed it to the soil in which the leaves were originally grown. Whether this is true or not, I cannot say for sure but one thing I know is that I have seen this on various cigars including Davidoffs, Dunhills, and others that are no longer in production. I have also seen this on cigars that are still in production but with some serious age on them.

Bottom line, dont let just the ash color determine if a cigar is real or not. In and of itself, it is not the "final word" per say.


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## dayplanner (Dec 11, 1997)

poker said:


> Personally, in my experience, ash color is not the "final word" on whether a cigar is truly from Cuban origin. Like Bruce, I have many a vintage cigar that has exhibited a unusualy light ash. I have always contributed it to the soil in which the leaves were originally grown. Whether this is true or not, I cannot say for sure but one thing I know is that I have seen this on various cigars including Davidoffs, Dunhills, and others that are no longer in production. I have also seen this on cigars that are still in production but with some serious age on them.
> 
> *Bottom line, dont let just the ash color determine if a cigar is real or not. It and of itself, it is not the "final word" per say.*


That point merits repeating. One must consider the _entire_ body of evidence that is available. In the end, however, it may well come down to sending a stick or two out to someone experienced with the particular cigar for an opinion.

Wilkey


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## colgate (Jan 18, 2005)

good post! Wrapper and taste tell me whether or not it's real. I feel for the new guys that don't know the flavor profile. If it burns your throat or tastes one dimensional, it's fake crap. Wrapper's getting to be a harder tell. Some of these EL's have heavier grade wrappers than I'm used to seeing on a regular box. I think that's what I do not like about the EL's like Upmann and RyJ. The taste is fine but the wrappers are a little too indelicate.


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## poker (Dec 11, 1997)

Agreed. When one considers everything there is:
Length
Ring
Construction
Color consistancy within the same box
The box itself
The band
The flavor profile (major biggie here)
The age
Ash color
The seals
The stamp code
Country of purchase 
Price paid
Vendor reputation

...among other things, all this should allow one to make an informed & educated decision on whether it is legit or not.


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## WillyGT (Sep 13, 2004)

Great Post!, Lots of contributions from well informed gorillas. This is Excellent information for everyone interested in smoking and collecting Havanas.


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## SeanGAR (Jul 9, 2004)

opusxox said:


> I believe the thought behind the ash color change with age is that as the cigars age, more and more molecular bonds break down as the years go by. This leads to more complete combustion, hence a whiter ash. I think this seems reasonable, but so does the mineral content idea. It is probably a combination of factors leading to cigar ash color. I, like a lot of other gorillas, have limited experience with really aged sticks, but I have seen some very white ashes on some of the aged sticks I have smoked, and not so white on others. I believe the original post was directed at the masses and not specific to aged smokes. I hope to soon do some serious research into the white ash on aged sticks theory.


I was playing with my cigar tonight ... burning dark ash with my lighter and making it white. I hadn't noticed it do that before but I hadn't played with this particular lighter either. Kinda supports the idea that you and Bruce bring up. If the black is incomplete combustion (carbon left over from that) rather than darkly colored minerals, it would argue in that favor.


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## Da Klugs (Jan 8, 2005)

Nice posts Wilkey!!

And.. when Bruce speaks I listen and hide my credit cards.


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## kvm (Sep 7, 2005)

Thanks for the post 3x5card! Another great thread.


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## vic_c (Sep 7, 2005)

Great post and excellent photos! Thanks for the info!


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## StudentSmoker (Apr 24, 2006)

Great post, most informative. I've heard some noise about this thread on other forums.....


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## Mister Moo (Sep 8, 2005)

Bruce said:


> ...What I would like to know is the vendor that sold the box of Coronas.


Same question. (Stunning photos and an excellent analysis.)


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## dahigman (Jul 4, 2005)

Thank you so much for taking the time to put together such an in depth analysis. Being new to Cubans I need the visual clues (BTW GREAT PICS!) until I can identify the flavor profiles.

This should be make STICKY


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## Boston_Dude05 (Oct 10, 2006)

Awesome post.


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## TheDirector (Nov 22, 2006)

3x5card;368012
Truly said:


> Great Job Wilkey! Thanks.


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## Danbreeze (Jun 27, 2006)

Another excellent analysis, Wilkey.

Keep up the good work


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## Even Steven (Dec 15, 2006)

It's wonderful how you take time off to put this together, it was a good and very interesting read that will educated the uneducated and will probably enlighten or refresh the ones who are "in the know". Thank you for this


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## Dogwatch Dale-cl (Sep 7, 2005)

Excellent post and a wonderful thread! Critical analysis and pure science intrigue me. When applied to our passion, everyone is so much the better! Thanks to all the knowledgable contributors.


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## luckybandit (Jul 9, 2006)

thanks so much great post


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## SmokinApe (Jun 20, 2007)

Great post!


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## Fishbeadtwo (May 30, 2006)

Awesome post, should be mandatory reading for all the CC lovers! :tu


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